Bilt Hamber Surfex-HD | All Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser
One bottle, a 200-fold dilution range
Surfex-HD is the most useful product Bilt Hamber make, and the reason is the range. It is still working at 1 part in 200 for light interior cleaning, and it can be used neat for heavy industrial degreasing. Very few chemicals hold their performance across two orders of magnitude of dilution.
What's in it
Bilt Hamber's SDS declares alcohols C9-11 ethoxylated (3–10%) as the surfactant, disodium metasilicate (1–3%) as the alkali builder, and tetrasodium etidronate — HEDP (1–3%) as the chelant. That last one is worth pausing on: HEDP is a phosphonate sequestrant. It locks up the calcium and magnesium ions in hard water so they can't precipitate out and rob your surfactant. It's why Surfex-HD keeps working in hard water where cheaper APCs go limp.
The silicate is doing the heavy lifting on pH. The SDS records pH 13.25 — this is the most alkaline product in the Bilt Hamber range.
On "non-toxic"
Bilt Hamber describe Surfex-HD as "zero VOC, biodegradable, non-toxic and pleasant to use." We'll pass on their claim about VOCs and biodegradability, but we're going to be straight with you about the last one: the product is CLP-classified Eye Dam. 1 (H318) and Skin Irrit. 2 (H315). "Non-toxic" there is colloquial, not toxicological. At pH 13.25 it will irritate skin and it will damage eyes. Gloves and goggles.
Dilution
Light duty (interior, fabric, general): 1:100 to 1:200.
Medium (wheel arches, tyres, exterior trim, bug removal): around 1:20.
Heavy (engine bays, greasy industrial): 1:5 to neat.
Saturate the surface, let it dwell, agitate, rinse thoroughly. Always spot test. Bilt Hamber's own split: Surfex-HD for greasier films, Auto-Foam for drier ones.
Sizing
The 5L is the obvious buy if you're using it properly — at 1:100 it makes 500 litres of working solution. Add a Bilt Hamber dosing pump to the 5L and stop pouring chemical down the side of the drum.
Safety Data Sheet (Australia)
Download the Bilt Hamber Surfex-HD SDS (PDF)